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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Auckland Provincial District]

Paeroa

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Paeroa.

Paeroa, fifteen miles from Waihi and twenty-two from the Thames, is the county town of Ohinemuri and a transhipping port, connected by means of steamers and a railway with Waihi, Waitekauri, Waikino, and Karangahake. The original settlement was on the Esplanade, along the banks of the Ohinemuri river, immediately adjoining the township; and formerly steamers loaded and unloaded their cargoes at the town wharf. This, however, has long ceased to be possible, as owing to the discharge of tens of thousands of tons of tailings from the batteries at Waihi, Waikino, Karangahake and Waitekauri, the river has silted up, and the Junction Wharf, which is seven miles down the river, and one mile from the township, is now (1900) the nearest point at which steamers can load and unload. Hotels and business places formerly on the Esplanade have been removed to Normanby Street and Belmont Road, the centre of the town. The public buildings consist of the post office, court house and police station. Paeroa is lighted by gas, supplied by the Ohinemuri Light and Power Company. There is also a water supply, which is laid on to the houses, as well as being available for fire suppression. Streets and footpaths have been formed by the County Council, and there are public halls and churches. The Northern Steamship Company maintains a splendid service between Auckland and Paeroa, and there is a large traffic by the railway, which connects Paeroa with Auckland and the Thames.

Paeroa in the Early Days.

Paeroa in the Early Days.

Ohinemuri Electorate.

The Ohinemuri Electoral District embraces the Ohinemuri County, the whole of the Kauaeranga and Parawai Ridings and parts of the Totara and Hastings Ridings of the County of Thames, the Te Aroha Riding of the County of Piako, and Slipper Island. At the general election of 1899 there were twenty-seven polling places in the district, and there were 8035 names on the roll, an increase of over 4000 as compared with the roll of 1897.

Mr. Jackson Palmer, Member for the Ohinemuri electorate in the House of Representatives, was the successful candidate of the seven who contested that seat at the general election of 1899. In this capacity Mr. Palmer is the successor of the Hon. A. J. Cadman, C.M.G., who, on account of ill health, resigned his seat, and was called to the Upper House. Mr. Palmer sat for Waitemata in the House of Representatives from 1890 till 1896, when he was defeated by the present member for that electorate, Mr. R. Monk. Born in Belfast, Ireland, in December, 1867, Mr. Palmer came to New Zealand while he was an infant, and was educated at the Auckland College and Grammar School. He was articled at the age of twenty-one to the late Hon. John Sheehan, formerly Minister of Justice and Native Minister, with whom Mr. Palmer remained for four years, and was then admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of New Zealand. Later on he was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Samoa, in which, as well as in the Court of the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific, and also in New Zealand, he has gained a
Hanna, photo.Mr. Jackson Palmer.

Hanna, photo.
Mr. Jackson Palmer.

page 840 wide experience in his profession. Mr. Palmer has a talent for literary work, and has contributed largely to “Brett's Handy Guide to New Zealand,” and other publications.

Mr. Frederick Duncan Fergusson, Returning Officer and Registrar of Electors for the Ohinemuri District, was born in Perthshire, Scotland, in 1856. He was educated at Owen's College, Manchester, and became a pupil teacher in his father's school in that city. From 1872 to 1876 he was employed in his father's school and then became a visiting master to private schools for four years. He subsequently came out to New Zealand to his uncle the Rev. J. D. Fergusson to take charge of a school in Christchurch, and after two years and a half he became a junior master in the Christchurch Boys' High School, and held the position from 1883 to 1885. During this period he raised a cadet corps, and also a company named the Christchurch Rifles. Mr. Fergusson then became a teacher under the North Canterbury Board of Education for two years, and was for six years subsequently in charge of the Makatuka school in Hawke's Bay. In 1893 he joined the service of the Auckland Education Board, and was relieving teacher for about two years. In November, 1895, Mr. Fergusson accepted an appointment to represent the Government Insurance Department on the Auckland goldfields, and continued in that position till the end of 1898. He was first appointed a returning officer in 1896, and became a local valuer under the Valuation Department in the following year. In October, 1899, he was appointed to his present position. While he was in England Mr. Fergusson was connected with the first Manchester volunteers for seven years. He was the originator of the three Ohinemuri Rifle Corps—No. 1 Paeroa, No. 2 Karangahake, and No. 3 Waihi. At the Takapuna camp of 1898, Capt. Fergusson was in command of the attacking infantry. He is referred to in another article as having been captain of the Paeroa Rifles.

The Paeroa Volunteer Fire Brigade dates from the 23rd of October, 1895. Officers for 1900: Messrs J. E. Hunt (captain), T. Casley (lieutenant) and J. Howie (secretary). The station at Belmont Road contains the usual appliances, which consist of a reel-hose, and a hose of 900 feet. There is a firebell tower in the centre of the town, and the brigade has twelve members, including officers.

Mr. John Edwin Hunt, Captain, was born in Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, in 1871, and was brought up to the trade of a coachbuilder, in his native place. He afterwards gained experience in various towns in England, and arrived at Auckland by the s.s. “Coptic,” in 1890. After a short residence in Auckland he settled in the Waikato, and was for two years in business on his own account at Cambridge. In 1895 he settled at Paeroa, where he entered into business with a partner; but about a year later the firm sold out to Mr. J. Ellis, for whom Mr. Hunt manages the coachbuilding department of that gentleman's business.

Captain J. E. Hunt.

Captain J. E. Hunt.

The Fire Prevention Committee of Paeroa was established in 1899, and in 1900 it was under the management of Messrs Bastings (chairman), Burgess, Searle, Nathan, and F. Pratt (secretary). Messrs Bastings and Burgess are trustees for the funds of the committee, which was formed with the object of assisting the local fire brigade.

Ohinemuri County.

The Ohinemuri County is divided into five ridings, and is bounded by the counties of Thames, Waikato, Piako, and Tauranga. The ridings of the county are Waihi, Paeroa, Karangahake, Waitoa, and Waitekauri. The first four return two members each, and the last, one member. Members for 1900: Mr. H. P. Barry, chairman, and Messrs C. Saunders, S. Draffin, R. Stackpole, junior, M. Marrinan, H. Poland, A. Cassrels, W. Moore, and A. Bowler. The officers of the county are: Mr. N. Kenny, county clerk and treasurer; Mr. A. Armstrong, county engineer; Mr. W. Corbett, assistant engineer; Mr. R. W. Evans, assistant clerk; and Mr. F. Beattie, Inspector of slaughterhouses and nuisances. The new slaughterhouse erected in 1899, at a cost of about £900, is situated on the Karangahake Road, and has already proved a great boon to the district. Ohinemuri is distinctively a mining district, with Paeroa as its headquarters, and the Waihi, Woodstock, Waitekauri, and other celebrated mines are within its boundaries.

Councillor Hubert Percy Barry, J.P., who (1900) has been for upwards of five years Chairman of the Ohinemuri County Council, had a good many years' experience in engineering works in the Old Country, before leaving for South Africa. He was for a few years in Swaziland, South Africa, where he was employed in connection with mining concessions, and was appointed to the general superintendency of the Waihi Company's mine in 1891. Soon after his arrival Mr. Barry became chairman of the Ohinemuri County Council, and with the exception of the period during which he was away on a visit to England, he has since held that important position.

Councillor Samuel Draffin was elected to represent the Waitekauri Riding on the Ohinemuri County Council in April, 1900. He has long taken an interest in local sports and pastimes, and holds office as patron of the Ohinemuri Cricket Association, as president to several local football, cricket, and athletic clubs, and as judge to the Waitekauri Jockey Club.

Councillor William Moore, who is a Member of the Ohinemuri Council for the Paeroa riding, was born on the 10th of November, 1842, in County Down, Ireland. He was brought up to farming, and came to Auckland in the ship “Red Rover,” in 1869. After a short experience of three months at Mercury Bay sawmills, he settled at the Thames, and was engaged for two years in mining and for ten years in connection with the ore reduction works. In 1880, Mr. Moore settled at Netherton, and purchased a farm of 185 acres, which he has since increased to 590 acres. Mr. Moore was first elected to the county council in 1896, and has a seat on the Thames Harbour Board. He is also a member of the Charitable Aid Board, and one of the trustees of the Thames hospital. Mr. Moore was married, in 1873, to a daughter of the late Captain Tregoweth, of Cornwall. This lady died in 1893, leaving three sons and four daughters, and in 1894 Mr. Moore contracted a second marriage with a daughter of the late Mr. Wylie, of County Derry, Ireland.

Foy Bros., photo.Councillor W. Moore.

Foy Bros., photo.
Councillor W. Moore.

Councillor Hugh Poland, who is a Member of the Ohinemuri County Council, Ohinemuri Licensing Committee, and School Committee, was born in 1868 at Tuakau. He page 841 was educated at the public school in his native place, and took the district scholarship, entitling him to three years' tuition at the Auckland Grammar school. Mr. Poland was successful in passing the Junior and Senior Civil Service examinations, in the latter of which he took first place in the colony; he matriculated at the end of his term, and became a teacher under the Board of Education. Mr. Poland held the D certificate, but after two years in charge of the Parkhurst school, he retired from the teaching profession. Subsequently he was for two years engaged in flax milling at Helensville, and was a storekeeper successively at Rotorua and Paeroa. Since 1895 he has been the Auckland “Evening Star” newspaper's agent for the Ohinemuri district, and has his office in Normanby Street, Paeroa, where he also acts as agent for the Royal Insurance Company. Mr. Poland was a prominent Auckland athlete and won the Auckland Grammar School Cup and Ladies' Bracelet at the Auckland Amateur Association sports, besides other events. He was a member of the Gordon Football Club, and represented Auckland in the years 1887–88–89–90–91–94. Mr. Poland was married on the 10th of August, 1892, to a daughter of the late Mr. James Hand, of Helensville, and has four sons and one daughter.

Hanna, photo.Councillor H. Poland.

Hanna, photo.
Councillor H. Poland.

Councillor Charles Judd Saunders, who has (1900) represented Waihi riding in the Ohinemuri County Council since November, 1897, was born in Perth, West Australia, in 1869, and educated at the public school at the Thames where his parents had arrived in the early days. Mr. Saunders was brought up to the grocery business, and settled in Waihi in 1892, when he commenced business as a general storekeeper. Four years later he sold out to Mr. McWatters, of Paeroa, and since then has conducted business as a stationer and news agent.

Councillor Robert Stackpole, Junior, who has been one of the Representatives for Karangahake Riding on the Ohinemuri County Council, since February, 1898, was born in Onehunga, in 1860. He was educated in his native town and at the Thames, and commenced his mining career at the Moanataiari battery. Two years later he became assistant amalgamator, and had the handling of most of the gold obtained from the “Big Patch” in 1877. At the time of the reduction of hands he was balloted out after seven years' service, and subsequently worked for the Government on the Hikutaia Road. Mr. Stackpole was one of a party of contractors to the late Mr. Manukau Jones at the Waihi mine in 1881. In the following year he went to Te Aroha and was employed in the Premier mine for six months, and in the “Colonist” for two years. During the last year of this term he was underground boss. He was afterwards a contractor in the “New Find.” In 1884 Mr. Stackpole returned to the Thames, where he had a successful tribute in the Kuranui mine. Later on he was engaged in tributing at Waitekauri for a short time, and then went to Charters Towers in North Queensland. After returning to New Zealand he was prospecting successively at Maratoto and at Whangamata. In 1891 he became amalgamator at the Sylvia battery, Tararu Creek, and eighteen months later he returned to Waitekauri for a short time. Mr. Stackpole subsequently worked for six months in the Alburnia mine, at the Thames, and settled at Karangahake in January, 1893. He worked for the Woodstock Company for two years, and afterwards pegged out the Marmion claim. This and the Golden Treasure claim were amalgamated under the name of the Talisman Extended Gold Mining Company, Limited, for which Mr. Stackpole was mine manager from 1895 to 1898. In the following year he pegged out the Crown Extended mine, which he sold for £800 cash to the London and New Zealand Exploration Company, Ltd., and secured appointment as mine manager. Mr. Stackpole was a member of the Karangahake school committee, and is a member of the committee of the School of Mines. He was married, in December, 1896, to a daughter of Mr. P. J. Byrne, of County Kerry, Ireland, and has one son and one daughter.

Hanna, photo.Councillor R. Stackpole, Junr.

Hanna, photo.
Councillor R. Stackpole, Junr.

Mr. Nepean Kenny, Clerk and Treasurer to the Ohinemuri County Council, and Secretary to the Ohinemuri Cemetery and River Boards, was appointed to these offices in March, 1887. He came to New Zealand in 1861 to engage in sheep farming in the province of Marlborough, having left the Imperial service for that purpose. After a few years in this occupation he joined the Armed Constabulary, and was subsequently transferred to the police branch of the force. On retiring from the Government service he took up land surveying as a profession, which he still carries on as a partner in the firm of Kenny and Son.

Military.

No. 1 Ohinemuri Rifle Volunteer Corps was founded in July, 1897, and forms a part of the No. 2 Battery of Auckland Rifles. The Company has the full strength of sixty-three members, including its officers, Captain D. McArthur and Lieutenant A. C. Hubbard.

Captain Duncan McArthur, of the No. 1 Ohinemuri Rifles, was born in 1877, in Invercargill, and was educated on the West Coast and in Australia, where he attended school at Horsham, Victoria. He was for about four years in an auctioneer's establishment, and in 1895 he settled at Paeroa, where he became managing clerk for Messrs Clendon and Mueller. Captain McArthur joined the volunteers soon after his arrival in Paeroa. He held the position of lieutenant for eighteen months, and was promoted to the rank of captain in February, 1900.

Captain Frederick Duncan Fergusson, formerly in command of the No. 1 Company, Ohinemuri Rifle Volunteers, Paeroa, was born in Perthshire, Scotland, and educated at Owen's College, Manchester. He was engaged as a teacher in the Old Country, and on his arrival in New Zealand, in 1880, he joined the staff of the Christchurch Boys' High School, and was afterwards headmaster of a district school in Hawke's Bay, where he remained for six years, until 1893, when he removed to Auckland. Captain Fergusson has long been connected with the volunteer movement. In 1874 he joined the 6th Lancashire (now 2nd Battalion Manchester Regiment) and served till 1880. He became identified with volunteering soon after his arrival in New Zealand, and raised and drilled the Christchurch Rifles, afterwards amalgamated with the City Guards, and also the Cadet Corps of the Boys' High School, Christchurch. After settling at Ohinemuri, Mr. Fergusson raised the Paeroa (No. 1) Karangahake (No. 2), and Waihi (No. 3) Rifles. Men went from the Paeroa company to the Transvaal war in South Africa; and one of them, Colour-Sergeant Bradford was the first New Zealander who fell in the war. Captain Fergusson in page 842 his younger days was a well known athlete, and holds several medals won by him in Lancashire.

Bartlett, photo.Captain F. D. Fergusson.

Bartlett, photo.
Captain F. D. Fergusson.

No. 3 Ohinemuri Rifles. The full strength of this company is sixty-three, and the officers are: F. J. Walmsley (captain), James L. Gilmour and Jacob Wearne (lieutenants), Colour-Sergeant Crawford, Sergeants Bulbot, Gardner, Callan, and Clews; J. M. Wood (bandmaster).

Captain Francis John Walmsley, of the No. 3 Ohinemuri Rifles, is the son of a well known old colonist, Mr. F. J. M. D. Walmsley, of the Property Tax Department, Wellington. Mr. Walmsley was born at Hamilton, in 1875, and educated at St. Patrick's College, Wellington. Ever since leaving school he has followed mining, and was for about three years on the West Coast before he settled at Waihi. Mr. Walmsley always took an interest in volunteering, and on the formation of the Ohinemuri Rifles he was appointed the company's first captain. His grandfather was a captain in the 56th Regiment before coming to the colony in the early sixties, and settled in Nelson, where he long held the position of postmaster and sheriff.

General Government Offices.

The Paeroa Post Office has a vestiblue with thirty private boxes, a public lobby, an operating room, mail room, and postmaster's office, and a six roomed residence behind. About seventy-five bags of mails pass daily through the office, which is the distributing centre for the Upper Thames district. The postmaster is assisted by three cadets, a letter carrier, and two messengers.

Mr. John Brown, Postmaster and Registrar of Births, Deaths, and Marriages, at Paeroa, was born in 1852 at Belturbet, County Cavan, Ireland. He joined the postal department in Ireland in 1869, and after serving six years came to Port Chalmers by the ship “Oamaru,” and soon afterwards received an appointment in Dunedin. From 1877 to 1881 he was postmaster at Turakina, and was afterwards at Otaki, till 1884. After a short time in the Wellington Telegraph office, he went to Waikaia, where he continued till 1889, when he was transferred to Wyndham, whence he removed to Katikati in 1891. Mr. Brown has been stationed in Paeroa since 1893.

Paeroa Railway Station is 120 miles from Auckland, and is situated about half a mile from the centre of the township. It was opened in December, 1895, and comprises offices, waiting-rooms, luggage-room and goods and engine sheds.

Mr. John William Woodbury, the Stationmaster, was born in London in 1871, and came to New Zealand when a child. His parents settled in Canterbury, and his father. Mr. John Woodbury, is a driver on the Hurunui-Bluff section. Mr. J. W. Woodbury was educated at Southbridge, Canterbury, and entered the Railway Department as a cadet at the Southbridge station, where he remained for two years. He afterwards spent seven years in the booking office at Lyttelton, and filled several other appointments before being sent to Paeroa as stationmaster in 1896. Mr. Woodbury is married to the daughter of Mr. S. Derbridge, of the Lyttelton Harbour Board staff, and has one daughter. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity.

The Thames And Coromandel District Charitable Aid Board is represented in Paeroa by a deputy relieving officer, who has power to deal with local cases of distress.

Mr. James Garcia, Deputy Relieving Officer of the Thames and Coromandel District Charitable Aid Board, was born at Richmond, near Melbourne, in 1877. He was educated at Yarra Park state school, Melbourne, and at the Thames high school, and entered the joint offices of the Thames “Star” and “Advertiser,” for which he afterwards became agent at Paeroa. Mr. Garcia is interested in local outdoor sports, and acts as secretary and treasurer to the Paeroa Cricket Club. He is accountant and manager for Mr. W. Forrest, timber merchant. Mr. Garcia is a member of the vestry of the Church of England, and superintendent of the Sunday school.

Foy Bros., photo.Mr. J. Garcia.

Foy Bros., photo.
Mr. J. Garcia.

The Paeroa Public School building is of wood, and is surrounded by an extensive playground. Since the school was established in 1875, the building has been enlarged on three different occasions. There are 283 children on the roll, with an average attendance of 215. The headmaster is assisted by a certificated master, two certificated mistresses, and three pupil teachers.

Mr. Walter Sullivan, Headmaster of the Paeroa Public School, was born in 1853 at Walsall, Staffordshire, England, and educated in Liverpool, where he was brought up to mercantile life. He arrived in Auckland in 1880, when he joined the service of the Board of Education. After being at Mackaytown, Waitekauri, and at Te Puke, Mr. Sullivan was appointed to his present position at Paeroa in 1884.

Mr. William Mansfield Gelling, Assistant Master at Paeroa Public School, was born at Hamilton, Waikato, in 1870, and is the eldest son of Mr. James Gelling, late town-clerk of Hamilton. He was educated at the Hamilton High School and entered the service of the Education Department in 1887, commencing teaching at Nelson Street school, Auckland, at the age of seventeen. Mr. Gelling afterwards became second assistant at Wellesley Street school, and acting head master at Chapel page 843 Street school. He has been successively assistant master at Epsom, Huntly, Tuakau, Miranda, and Warkworth, and also a relieving teacher. Mr. Gelling is a footballer, cricketer and swimmer, and has gained several prizes in swimming contests.

Ecclesiastical.

St. Paul's Parish, Paeroa, which includes Hikutaia, Netherton and Karangahake, and originally included Waihi and Waitekauri, is under the care of the Rev. W. H. Wilson. The church occupies a site of fully half an acre in the centre of the town, near the post office and courthouse. It is a wooden building, with seats for 150 persons, and was established soon after the opening of the goldfield. About seventy scholars attend the Sunday school. The vicarage is situated in Te Aroha Road, and the glebe is five acres in extent.

The Rev. William Henry Wilson, Vicar of St. Paul's, was born at Burton-in-Lonsdale, Yorkshire, England, in 1855. He was educated at the Bentham Grammar school,
Rev. W. H. Wilson.

Rev. W. H. Wilson.

at Owen's College, Manchester, and at Cheshunt College, Herts, and was ordained deacon and priest in 1889. Mr. Wilson went out under the London Missionary Society, to Samoa, where he remained for four years, during part of which he was Her Majesty's Consul and Deputy Commissioner for Samoa. He came to Nelson in 1888, and was stationed at Reefton-with-Lyell, for four years and a half. After being stationed for three years at Te Awamutu, Waikato, he was appointed to Paeroa in 1896. Mr. Wilson is an enthusiastic Freemason, and was initiated in Lodge Pacific, E.C., 1453. He is chaplain of the Ohinemuri Lodge, 107, and of the Waihi Lodge, 112. While on the West Coast he was Grand Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of Westland. He has also taken the degree of Mark Master, Royal Arch Royal Ark Mariner, and Knight of the East and West. Mr. Wilson has been associated with the volunteer movement in the colony since his arrival in 1888. He holds the position of chaplain to the Ohinemuri Rifle Volunteers, Corps No. 1, and was formerly chaplain to the Mangahua Rifles and the Te Awamutu Mounted Rifles. Mr. Wilson was married, in 1883, to a daughter of the Rev. W. M. Anstey, late of Tollsbury, Essex, England, and has three sons.

The Paeroa Presbyterian Church is a wooden building with seating accommodation for 176 worshippers, and about 100 children attend the Sunday school. Services were held in the district prior to the opening of the present building in 1896. The minister in charge conducts services also at Netherton, and Karangahake.

The Rev. Frank Rule, Minister in charge of the Paeroa Presbyterian Church, was born at Falkirk, Scotland, in 1863. He was brought up as an ironmonger and worked for years at his business before settling in New Zealand in 1895. Mr. Rule became a lay preacher in Hawke's Bay; he was engaged in evangelistic work for the church at Ormond, Poverty Bay, for about three years, and was appointed to Paeroa in 1899. He was married, in 1887, to a daughter of the late Mr. McCabe, of Invercargill, and has six sons.

The Ohinemuri Parish Of The Roman Catholic Church embraces the entire county, including Waihi, Waitekauri, Karangahake, Waikino and Paeroa. The church property at Paeroa occupies an elevated section of five acres at the entrance of the township, on the Waihi-Tauranga Road. The church, which is of wood, has accommodation for 200 worshippers, and a school has recently been completed at a cost of £500, for the Josephite Sisters, who arrived from Sydney at Easter, 1900. The church at Karangahake is capable of seating 300, that at Waitekauri 200, and that at Waihi 150 persons.

The Very Rev Dean Hackett, Priest in charge of the Ohinemuri Parish, was born at Moate, West Meath, Ireland, in 1858. He was educated at the Propaganda College, Rome, and ordained in that city in 1883. Father Hackett came out to Bishop Luck at Auckland, and after two years at Northern Wairoa, was stationed as Administrator at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Auckland, for eight years. In 1893 he was transferred to Paeroa, and since his residence in the district has had three churches and schools built, and the churches at Paeroa and Karangahake are free from debt.

The Paeroa Wesleyan Church stands on a half acre section at the corner of Normanby Street and Thames Road, Paeroa. It is a wooden building, with accommodation for 150 persons, and was built about 1883. Services are held twice every Sunday, and the Sunday school is attended by about seventy scholars. The Paeroa church is a portion of the Upper Thames circuit, to which reference is made in another part of this volume.

The Rev. William Greenslade, Minister at Paeroa, was born in 1875, in Nelson, and was educated at Greymouth. He is the eldest son of Mr. William Greenslade, of Greymouth, tanner. While following the coachbuilding trade at Nelson, Mr. Greenslade commenced as a local preacher in connection with the Wesleyan church, and was afterwards appointed a home missionary, and stationed at Riverton for nearly twelve months. He was then for twelve months at Broad Bay, near Dunedin, and was accepted as a candidate by the Conference in 1899; and after a year at Prince Albert College, Auckland, was appointed to Paeroa in 1900.

The Salvation Army in Paeroa holds services in a rented hall in Wharf Street, no barracks having yet (1901) been erected. The Army has been represented in the district since 1896, and services are held also at Karangahake, Te Aroha, Hikutaia, and Omata. The officer in charge is Captain Ella Pearn.

Social.

Loyal Jubilee Lodge, I.O.O.F., M.U. Officers for 1900; J. W. Woodbury (N.G.), T. Finch (V.G.), B. King (treasurer), D. C. Potts, junior (permanent secretary). This lodge was established in 1897. It has a membership of eighty-two, and holds fortnightly meetings at the Masonic Hall.

Mr. David Carnegie Potts, Permanent Secretary of the Loyal Jubilee Lodge of Oddfellows, was born in Dundee, in 1879, and arrived with his parents in Auckland in June, 1886. He was educated principally in the colony, and has been settled at Paeroa since November, 1894, as tally clerk at the Junction Wharf. He has been a member of the Loyal Jubilee Lodge since 1898, and was elected to the secretaryship on the 19th of February, 1900.

The Ohinemuri Cricket Association, which was established in February, 1898, governs cricket in the county of Ohinemuri. The officers for 1900 were: Messrs page 844 Draffin (patron), W. C. Brown (president), G. F. Clarke, J. Hope, and B. H. Stafford, and T. Lawless (vice-presidents), and E. T. Conolly (secretary and treasurer). There are four associate clubs, namely the Waihi, Waitekauri, Karangahake, and Paeroa.

Mr. Edwin Tennyson Conolly, Secretary of the Ohinemuri Cricket Association, is the sixth son of Judge Conolly. He was born in Picton in 1873, and was educated at the Picton and Auckland grammar schools. Mr. Conolly entered the Colonial Bank at Blenheim in 1893, and continued an officer of that institution till the business was taken over by the Bank of New Zealand. He then joined the National Bank in Auckland as clerk, and a year later was appointed to the position of accountant at the Paeroa branch. Mr. Conolly has long been connected with outdoor sports. He played in the senior team at Picton in 1888, and has never lost his interest in the game. He has been enthusiastic in tennis, rowing, cricket and football, and represented Marlborough in all four sports in 1894.

The Paeroa Cricket Club, which was established several years ago, and plays under the Ohinemuri Cricket Association, has a membership of about thirty. Mr. W. C. Brown is (1900) president of the club, Mr. J. Butler captain of the team, and Mr. J. Garcia secretary and treasurer.

The Paeroa Brass Band was established in 1894, and has ten performing members. The officers (1900) are Messrs F. Plescher (bandmaster) and Mr. T. Finch (secretary). The band is ever ready to assist at local events, and at efforts for the benefit of charitable institutions.

Harston, G. Loversidge, Teacher of Vocal and Instrumental Music, Wood Street, Paeroa. Mr. Harston is a son of an organ builder, at Newark, England, where
Crombie, photo.Mr. G. L. Harston.

Crombie, photo.
Mr. G. L. Harston.

he was born in 1865. He was for eight years a chorister of the Newark parish church, and was a pupil of Mr. Samuel Reay, Mus. Bac. Oxon., its organist; and for five years before coming to the colonies, Mr. Harston was head chorister and soloist. He came out to Sydney in 1884, and six months later arrived in New Zealand and settled at Tauranga, where he was organist of Trinity church during his residence in the district. After being there four years, during which he was also teaching music and tuning pianos and organs, Mr. Harston removed to the Thames, where he remained from 1889 to 1894. During his residence at the Thames he was engaged in connection with his profession, and was also a performing member of the Thames Orchestral Society. In 1894, Mr. Harston settled in Paeroa, where he accepted the position of organist and choirmaster in St. Paul's church. He also holds office as conductor of the Paeroa Orchestral Society, and is the district representative of the London College of Musicians. Mr. Harston has been successful in his profession in Paeroa, and a large percentage of his pupils have passed the examinations of the college, many of them with honours. He has seven brothers in England, all following the musical profession. Mr. Harston was married, in 1880, to a daughter of the late Mr. W. F. Sirdefield, barrister, of Liverpool, England, and has two sons.
Press.

New Zealand Herald And Auckland Weekly News, Ohinemuri Agency, Normanby Road, Paeroa; James Reid, Agent. Mr. Reid was born at the Thames in 1869, and was educated there at St. George's Grammar school. While working in his father's store he diligently devoted his evenings to the study of shorthand, and succeeded so well that he was asked to take up the position of reporter on the “Thames Advertiser,” on which he worked for seven years. In 1895 he was sent to Paeroa as agent for the New Zealand Herald and Mining Reporter for the Ohinemuri district. Mr. Reid is a member of the Wesleyan Church and leader of the choir. He was married, in 1898, to a daughter of Mr. F. MacKenzie, of Onehunga.

“The Ohinemuri Gazette” is a biweekly paper, published at Paeroa on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. It is owned by Mr. Edwin Edwards, and leased by Messrs Nicholas and Lyes.

Mr. Edwin Edwards, the Proprietor of the “Ohinemuri Gazette,” was born in London in 1862. He was educated at Rutland College, London, and after a course of commercial life, went to America. On returning to Europe, he determined to visit the colonies, and came to New Zealand. After rambling through the South Island in various capacities, and doing many things, from coal heaving to lecturing, he went to Paeroa, where in time he founded two newspapers, firstly the “Mining Journal,” and secondly the “Ohinemuri Gazette.” The last-named was started in 1891, and is now the standard goldfields journal in its part of the colony. Later on Mr. Edwards started the “Te Aroha Times.” Mr. Edwards is a practical geologist, and is well acquainted with the rocks and strata of the Ohinemuri goldfields. At one time he was part owner of the celebrated Waihi Mine, and held nineteen acres on the cap of the Martha Hill, Waihi, with his partners. He has been clerk, member and chairman of the Ohinemuri County Council; member of the local school committee, licensing bench, harbour and hospital boards, etc. In 1896 he contested unsuccessfully the Ohinemuri seat with the Hon. A. J. Cadman, then Minister of Mines.

Mr. E. Edwards.

Mr. E. Edwards.

Legal.

The Paeroa Warden's and Magistrate's court occupies a central position in the township, and adjoins the post office. It was erected in 1895, and opened in February, 1896, and is a wooden building with a verandah, a court-room, warden's room, clerk's room, public office, solicitors' and witnesses' room and a plan room. The warden sits on two days in each fortnight, and the district controlled by the court includes the Ohinemuri county, and the Thames county as far as the Hikutaia river.

Mr. William Forrest, J.P., is District Coroner for Ohinemuri. He was born in Argyleshire, Scotland, in 1855, and educated at Carmichael Academy, Lanarkshire. After completing his apprenticeship with his father as a stonemason at Carmichael he went to Glasgow to learn the best branches of the trade. There he attended the School of Arts in Sauchiehill Street for several sessions, and studied architectural drawing. He also attended evening science classes for a year. After two years' residence in Glasgow he returned to Carmichael, where he started with his brother James, building and contracting, under the style of J. and W. Forrest. The firm carried out several important works, notably one section of the Lanark Water Works, Westport new schools, etc. Mr. Forrest then went to America, where he travelled through page 845 most of the Northern States and worked at his trade for some time in Denver City, Colorado, and at Lonaconing, Washington. Returning to Scotland, he married Jessie, youngest
Crombie, photo.Mr. W. Forrest.

Crombie, photo.
Mr. W. Forrest.

daughter of the late Mr. P. Gibson, Lanarkshire, in December, 1882, and he and his wife sailed for New Zealand in January, 1883, in the first direct steamer, the “British King.” Mr. Forrest settled in Auckland and carried on business for several years a a builder and contractor. In 1890 he removed with his family to Palmerston North and with partners carried out the drainage works of Palmerston and the Manganoho section of the North Island Trunk Railway. Mr. Forrest went to West Australia in 1895, but, disliking the climate, returned the same year. He settled at Paeroa in 1896, and began business as a timber merchant. Mr. Forrest was appointed Justice of the Peace and district coroner in 1897. He is an enthusiastic and prominent Freemason, and was mainly instrumental in founding Lodge Rangitira No. 71 at Hunterville, and Lodge Ohinemuri No. 107 in Paeroa. He takes a great interest in politics and municipal matters, and is superintendent of the Presbyterian Sunday school at Paeroa. Mr. Forrest has a family of three daughters and two sons.

Mr. Tracy Archer Moresly, Clerk of the Warden's and Magistrate's Court, Mining Registrar, and Receiver of Gold Revenue at Paeroa, was born in 1869, at Plymouth, Devonshire, England. In 1887 he arrived in Auckland where he studied law, and was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court in 1890. Mr. Moresly entered the Government service in the same year that he arrived in Auckland. He served four years in the office of the clerk to the Resident Magistrate, and was then transferred to the Supreme Court office. Two years later he was appointed assistant clerk of the court at Masterton. He was then employed for two or three years as a relieving officer, and was appointed to Paeroa in January, 1896. Mr. Moresly is a Freemason, and in 1900 he was W.M. of Lodge Ohinemuri 107. He was married, in 1895, to a daughter of Mr. J. Halliday, of Auckland, and has two sons.

The Paeroa Police Sub-District, which includes Te Aroha, Karangahake, Waitekauri, Waihi and Paeroa, was established in 1877. The police station adjoins the courthouse, and consists of an office, a lock-up with two cells, and a residence of six rooms for the officer in charge.

Sergeant William Brenan, Officer in Charge of the Paeroa Sub-District, was born in Dublin in 1848. He served three years as a compositor in Dublin, and came to Canterbury in 1866 by the ship “King Canute.” Two years after his arrival he joined the Armed Constabulary in Canterbury, and served in Poverty Bay during the time of the Te Kooti and Titokowaru disturbances. In 1877 he was transferred to the Police Department, and was stationed at Cambridge, where he continued till 1898, when he was transferred to Paeroa and promoted to the rank of sergeant.

Clendon And Mueller (Edwin Clendon and Frederick Henry Mueller), Solicitors, Criterion Chambers, Normanby Street, Paeroa; Head office, Albert Street, Thames. This branch was established in 1896.

Mr. Frederick Henry Mueller, the Resident Partner, was born in 1871, at Hokitika, where he served his articles with Mr. James Park. He afterwards settled at Gisborne, where he was admitted to the bar in 1893, and was for three years managing clerk for Mr. H. J. Finn. Mr. Mueller then joined Mr. Clendon in partnership.

Jackson, William M., Barrister and Solicitor, Paeroa. Mr. Jackson was born at Razorback in the Auckland province in 1869. He is a son of Captain Jackson, sometime Stipendiary Magistrate for the Waikato, and a nephew of Mr. Samuel Jackson, of the firm of Messrs Jackson and Russell, solicitors, Auckland. Mr. W. M. Jackson was educated at the Auckland College and Grammar School, and served his articles in Messrs Jackson and Russell's office. He passed his final examinations in 1892 at Auckland, and was admitted to practice as a barrister and solicitor in August, 1896. In April, 1894, he was appointed Judge's Associate to Mr. Justice Conolly, with whom he stayed till May, 1896, after which he held the same position with Mr. Justice Williams of Dunedin. Mr. Jackson began to practise in Paeroa in September, 1897. His Auckland agents are Messrs Jackson and Russell.

McVeagh, James, Solicitor, Criterion Chambers, Normanby Street, Paeroa, and Main Street, Waihi. Mr. McVeagh was born at Cambridge, Waikato, in December, 1867, educated in his native town, and studied for his profession with Mr. M. R. Keesing and Mr. R. W. Dyer. He was admitted in June, 1899, and commenced to practise in Te Aroha. Mr. McVeagh subsequently spent four years in Victoria, where he was a managing clerk for part of the time in Melbourne, and afterwards in Goulburn Valley. Upon his return to New Zealand he settled at Paeroa in January, 1895, and established his present practice. Mr. McVeagh is an honorary
Hanna, photo.Mr. J. McVeagh.

Hanna, photo.
Mr. J. McVeagh.

solicitor to the Society for the Protection of Women and Children, and for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Miller And Porritt (Edmund William Porritt), Solicitors, Paeroa; (James A. Miller, notary public), Thames.

Mr. Edmund William Porritt, who is the firm's representative at Paeroa, is the page 846 son of the Rev. Thomas Porritt, of Featherston, a very early settler, and was born in 1865 at Kekerangu. He received his education at the public schools and at the English High school, Wellington. In 1884 he entered the Justice Department at Masterton, and afterwards travelled over most of the colony as the Department's relieving officer. Mr. Porritt then passed the law examinations, and was admitted to practice in 1894. In 1896 he resigned his Government appointment and entered into partnership with Mr. J. A. Miller. Mr. Porritt holds a militia captain's certificate from the Central Board of Examination, and was for four years a lieutenant in the Wellington Guards. He was promoted to be major on the 6th of June, 1900, and to the command of the 2nd Battalion of the Auckland Infantry; and the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in July, 1901.

Moss, Edward George Britton, Barrister and Solicitor, Normanby Road, Paeroa. Mr. Moss is the second son of Mr. F. J. Moss, of Parnell, and was born at Longwood on the Island of St. Helena. In 1859 he arrived in the colony with his parents by the ship “Zealandia,” and was educated at the Dunedin High School, and the Church of England Grammar school, Parnell. Mr. Moss was articled to Mr. Andrew Beveridge, Provincial Solicitor, Auckland, and was admitted to the Bar on the 15th of October, 1877. He afterwards practised at Greymouth and Tauranga, and established his present practice in Ohinemuri in 1895. Mr. Moss unsuccessfully contested the Ohinemuri seat at the general election of 1899.

Medical.

Buckley, Arthur Grey Heslerigge, L.F.P., S.Q., and L.M., Physician and Surgeon, Normanby Road, Paeroa. Dr. Buckley was born in the Midland Counties of England. He studied for his profession in Glasgow, and obtained his diplomas in 1876. After an experience in various parts of the world, Dr. Buckley came to Auckland as surgeon on the ship “Hermione,” in 1883. He was for about six years surgeon at the Patea Hospital, and settled at Paeroa in 1896.

Smith, Gilbert Thomas, M.R.C.S.E., Physician and Surgeon, Paeroa. Dr. Smith was born in Bedford, England, in 1853, and studied at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London, where he gained his diploma in 1880. After practising for about ten years in London, he came to Auckland, and practised at Whangarei for two years, and at Mercury Bay, for fifteen months. He was then appointed medical officer of the Te Aroha Hot Springs Domain Board, and resided in Te Aroha till January, 1900, when he removed to Paeroa.

Hobbs, William, Dental Surgeon, Normanby Street, Paeroa. Mr. Hobbs was born in Pokeno, in 1874. He studied his profession at the Thames, qualified in 1896 and commenced his present practice in 1897. Mr. Hobbs has been to Philadelphia and London, where he studied the higher branches of his profession, and returned to the colony in 1900.

De Castro, George Percival, Chemist and Druggist, Normanby Road, Paeroa. This business was established in 1893 by Mr. J. W. Hall. Mr de Castro was born in Wellington, and apprenticed to Mr. W. C. Fitzgerald, chemist of that city. After eighteen months in Dunedin and five years in Sydney, he passed his examinations, and gained a diploma in New South Wales, entitling him to practise in any of the Australian colonies, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Fraser, William, Chemist and Druggist, Normanby Street, Paeroa. Branch at Karangahake. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. Mr. Fraser was born in Geelong, Victoria, in 1854, and accompanied his parents in 1859, to Dunedin, where he served his apprenticeship as a chemist and druggist and afterwards qualified in Victoria. In 1881 he became manager of Messrs Teed and Co.'s business at Stratford, in Taranaki, and subsequently commenced business on his own account at Eltham. After being there he removed to Paeroa, where he established his present business in 1897. Besides doing an extensive trade, Mr. Fraser prepares a large number of proprietary medicines, such as the la grippe remedy, known as Balm of Gilead, cough medicines and hair restorers. He is registered under the Pharmaceutical Societies of Victoria and New Zealand. Mr. Fraser was married, in 1888, to a daughter of Mr. J. Hamilton, of Kumara, and has one daughter.

Mr. W. Fraser.

Mr. W. Fraser.

Banking.

Bank Of New Zealand, Paeroa . This branch was opened in 1881. The whole of the Bank's business for the Ohinemuri goldfields district is transacted at the branch, and the manager is assisted by a teller, a ledgerkeeper, and two juniors.

Mr. George Augustus Burgess, Manager of the Bank of New Zealand, Ohinemuri, is a son of Captain Burgess, of Auckland, where he was born in 1858. He entered the Bank's service in 1874, and three years later was transferred to the Thames, as ledgerkeeper and teller. In 1881 he was sent to Paeroa to open the Ohinemuri branch. In the following year he opened Te Aroha agency, and was stationed successively at Wairoa, Hawke's Bay, Te Awamutu, Carterton, Reefton, and Masterton, and re-appointed to Paeroa in 1896. Mr. Burgess is treasurer of the Ohinemuri Agricultural and Horticultural Society. He was married, in 1884, to a daughter of the late Mr. J. Probert, of Auckland, and has four daughters and one son.

The National Bank Of New Zealand, Paeroa. This branch is situated in Normanby Street, Paeroa. It is a wooden building, and comprises the banking chamber, the manager's room, a fire-proof safe in concrete, and residence for the local officer-incharge. The manager, Mr. William Crawford Brown, is assisted by an accountant and clerk. An agency of the bank has been opened at Waihi, where an officer is in attendance on Wednesday and Thursday in each week.

Professional, Commercial and Industrial.

Hazard And Johnston (Norman Frederick Hazard and Walter Herbert Johnston) Authorised Surveyors, Paeroa; Branch office, Waihi. This firm acquired the practice of Mr. G. Purchas, in June, 1895. Besides doing private work, the members are surveyors for the Waihi, the Waihi Grand Junction, and Waihi Union mines, at Waihi.

Tetley, William, Architect and Farmer, “Chellow Grange,” Paeroa. Mr. Tetley was born in 1887 at Chellow Grange, Heaton, Yorkshire, England. He was brought up on a farm but also studied architecture, which he has since followed as a profession. Mr. Tetley arrived in Sydney in 1879, and came to Auckland in the following year. After being engaged in mining at the Thames for a short time, he settled in 1880 in the Ohinemuri district, where he has since practised his profession as an architect, as well as carrying on business as a farmer. During his residence in Paeroa Mr. Tetley has designed and supervised the erection of several buildings, including the residences of Mr. J. W. Nichols and Dr. Smith, the County Council chambers, Mr. Millar's office, and the Wesleyan churches of Karangahake and Waihi. For about four years Mr. Tetley was engineer to the Ohinemuri County Council. He served for one year on the local school committee. Mr. Tetley was married, in 1872, to a daughter of the late Mr. J. Gill, of Heaton, and has three sons and two daughters. One of Mr. Tetley's sons went as a member of one of the New Zealand Contingents to South Africa.

Mr. W. Tetley.

Mr. W. Tetley.

page 847

Scott, Thomas Sydney, Photographer, Normanby Road, Paeroa. Mr. Scott was born in London, in February, 1866. He is the second son of the late Captain J. Scott of the barque “Hampton Court,” and went to sea as an apprentice in the “John Duthie,” an Aberdeen clipper. During his first year he left the ship at Sydney, and came to Dunedin, and became manager of the Wertheim Sewing Machine Company's branch at Invercargill, where he remained for eight years. Mr. Scott afterwards commenced business on his own account in Dunedin as an importer of machinery. Four years later he commenced as an amateur photographer, and finding the work congenial, persevered and became efficient in the art. In 1897, he began business at the Thames, and fifteen months later removed to Waihi, where he was unfortunately burnt out in November, 1899. His business in Paeroa was established in 1900. Mr. Scott served as a volunteer for about four years. He has long been interested in temperance work, and was a member of the Prohibition League in Otago for about fifteen years. Mr. Scott was one of the delegates who, with Mr. J. W. Jago, visited Wellington in February, 1893, and interviewed the Premier regarding temperance legislation. As a Freemason Mr. Scott is attached to the Southern Star Lodge, 753, E.C., Nelson.

Bromwich, Edward, Baker and Confectioner, Belmont Road, Paeroa. Bankers, National Bank of New Zealand. Mr. Bromwich was born in New South Wales in 1874, and was brought by his parents to New Zealand, when he was two years of age. He was educated and apprenticed to his business in Panmure. In 1894 he removed to Paeroa, where he worked for Mr. Robson, as a journeyman, and afterwards for Mr. Price. In January, 1900, he purchased the bread trade of his employers. He uses two horses in connection with his business and does a good local trade. Mr. Bromwich is a member of the Star of Paeroa Lodge, U.A.O.D. He was married, in 1896, to a daughter of Mr. O. Lorrensen, of Paeroa, and has two daughters and one son.

The Goldfields Brewery (Walter Horatio Phillips, Joseph Brenan and Henry Moore), Paeroa. This brewery was established in 1897 by Mr. Henry Wagstaff, who conducted the business till November, 1899, when it was acquired by the present proprietors. The buildings, which stand on half an acre of land, are of wood, and comprise the brewery and a five-roomed house. A five-horse power engine and boiler provide the power for working the plant, and there is an additional boiler for brewing purposes. This brewery is the only one on the Ohinemuri goldfields. Prizes have been taken with the beer, which is supplied in bulk and bottles throughout the district.

Mr. Henry Moore, the Managing Partner of the Goldfields Brewery Company, was born in Northampton, England, in 1859. He was brought to Auckland by his parents in 1862, and gained a general experience of colonial life in Auckland and at the Thames. After a short time at Messrs Hancock and Co.'s brewery, Auckland, Mr. Moore settled in Paeroa and joined his partners in taking over the Goldfields Brewery. As a volunteer, he was a member of the Hauraki Rifles at the Thames for about six years. He is a Druid and a member of the Star of Paeroa Lodge. Mr. Moore was married, in 1888, to a daughter of the late Mr. W. Mills, of Auckland, and has two sons and three daughters.

Mr. H. Moore.

Mr. H. Moore.

Brennan, Joseph, Coachbuilder and General Blacksmith, Coach and Carriage Works, Normanby Road, Paeroa. This business was established in 1890 by Mr. Brennan, who was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1861, and came to New Zealand with his parents in 1865. He worked for seven years for Messrs Gee and Potter, Auckland, and was afterwards employed for ten years by Messrs Cousins and Atkin.

Ellis, William Jackson, Coach and Carriage Builder, General Blacksmith and Horseshoer, Ohinemuri Carriage Factory, Belmont Road, Paeroa; Branch at Karangahake. Established in 1885. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. The Paeroa business is conducted in large premises erected on freehold and leasehold land. A smithy and showroom front the street, and the wheelwright and coachbuilding establishments and office are behind. Mr. Ellis acts as agent in Ohinemuri for the Red Bird Cycles, and for Messrs Reid and Gray's farm implements. He was born at Brigg, Lincolnshire, England, in 1857, and came with his parents to Auckland, by the ship “Matoaka,” in 1859. Mr. Ellis served an apprenticeship as horseshoer and general blacksmith at the Thames, partly with the Moanataiari Company, and partly with Mr. John West. In November, 1881, he commenced business on his own account in Waiorongomai, and conducted a successful trade till shortly before starting in Paeroa. The Karangahake branch was opened on the 1st of June, 1899. Mr. Ellis served for three years as a member of the Ohinemuri licensing bench, and was for several years a member of the Paeroa school committee. As a Rechabite, he is a member of Tent Star of Hauraki, Thames, and as a Freemason he is attached to Lodge Ohinemuri, 107. He was married, in 1889, to a daughter of Mr. J. Ritchie, of Paeroa, and has three sons.

Menzies and Co., Cordial Manufacturers, Francis Street, Paeroa. Branches, Te Aroha, Waihi and Hamilton. Head office, Thames. The Paeroa branch of this firm's business was established in 1895, and is conducted in a wooden building, opposite the page 848 railway station. The plant consists of a five horse-power marine engine, and a boiler and a full supply of aerated water and bottling machinery. The firm supplies the districts of Karangahake, Hikutaia, etc. Mr. E. C. Morgan is the manager at Paeroa.

The Paeroa Creamery is the property of the New Zealand Dairy Association, and was established in October, 1899. It is situated on the Thames Road, and is a wooden building of the usual type. The plant consists of an eight horse-power Tangye engine and an Alexandra separator, with a capacity of 300 gallons per hour. The building has a concrete floor, and is equipped with every necessary appliance. In the season of 1900 there were ten suppliers, and the milk from about 250 cows was treated daily.

Mr. Henry Hector Hutt, Manager of the Paeroa Creamery, was born in Oxfordshire, England, in 1869. His family arrived in Auckland in 1875 by the ship “Assay,” and settled at Ngaruawahia, Waikato, where he was educated and brought up to country pursuits. Mr. Hutt joined the Central Factory at Ngaruawahia, and was appointed manager of the Paeroa creamery in October, 1899. He was married, in 1892, to a daughter of Mr. Wyatt, of Hamilton, and has one son and four daughters.

Mr. H. H. Hutt.

Mr. H. H. Hutt.

Edwards And Towers (John Edwards and William John Towers), Painters and Decorators, Paeroa; Branches at Waihi and Te Aroha. This business was established by Mr. Edwards in 1889, and Mr. Towers joined the firm in 1897. The Waihi branch was established in 1894, and that at Te Aroha three years later. Mr. Edwards, the senior partner, recently visited England for the benefit of his health.

Mr. William John Towers was born at the Thames in 1867, and was apprenticed to Mr. H. D. Driver, with whom he worked as a journeyman for about two years, after completing his term. On moving to Paeroa he was employed by Mr. Edwards, and after being with him for about five years, he was admitted to the firm. Mr. Towers is a Freemason, and is attached to Lodge Ohinemuri, 107. He was married on the 8th of June, 1898, to a daughter of Mr. J. L. Stevens, of Waihi, and has one son.

Cullen and Co., (W. Cullen, managing partner), Drapers, Normanby Street, Paeroa. This business was established in 1895 in Queen Street, Auckland, and was transferred to Ohinemuri in 1897, with its headquarters at Paeroa; branches were subsequently established at Karangahake and Waihi.

Crowle, John, Tailor, Belmont Road, Paeroa. This business was established in May, 1897, and is carried on in a one-storied wooden building, which contains the shop and dwellinghouse. Mr. Crowle was born in 1869, at St. Austell, Cornwall, England, and served his apprenticeship as a tailor. He settled in New South Wales, in 1892, and was for a time in business in Somerhill, Sydney. In February, 1894, he came to Auckland, and after working at his trade for two years, he visited California, Colorado, Illinois. Chicago, New York, Liverpool, and Cornwall, and then returned to Auckland. Mr. Crowle is a Druid, and is attached to the Paeroa Lodge. He was married, in 1897, to a daughter of Mr. C. Morton, of Thames, and has one daughter.

Nelson, Samuel, Tailor, Normanby Street, Paeroa. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. Mr. Nelson was born in London in 1862, and came with his parents in 1864 to Auckland, where he learned his trade with his father, the late Mr. S. Nelson. He worked in Auckland till 1895, when he removed into his present large double-fronted shop, which is centrally situated in the township. Mr. Nelson is a member of Lodge Ohinemuri, 107, N.Z.C., and of the Loyal Jubilee Lodge, I.O.O.F., M.U. He was married, in 1889, to a daughter of Mr. H. Williams, of Portsmouth, and has three sons and two daughters.

Mr. and Mrs S. Nelson.

Mr. and Mrs S. Nelson.

The Commercial Hotel (William Shaw, proprietor), corner of Normanby and Arney Streets, Paeroa. This is a two-storey wooden building, and contains fifty-four rooms, of which thirty-two are bedrooms; and there are three sitting rooms, two commercial rooms, and two dining rooms, capable of seating sixty guests. There is a large sample room in connection with the hotel, and a thirty-stall stable, which is used as a terminus in connection with Messrs Thompson and Co.'s Waihi line of coaches.

Mr. William Shaw, Proprietor, was born in Dublin on Christmas Day, 1855, and came to Auckland by the barque “Ismay,” at the age of fourteen. With the exception of four years spent at the Thames, Mr. Shaw has since been a resident of the Ohinemuri district. He has had a good experience in mining, and holds a mine manager's certificate. Till 1895 he was engaged in mining, but he then settled at Pacroa and became proprietor of the “Commercial.” Mr. Shaw is an old volunteer, is president of the Paeroa Football Club, and has been a member of the Ohinemuri Jockey Club since its establishment. He was married, in 1877, to a daughter of Mr. J. Ritchie, well known in the early days in connection with educational establishments at the Thames, and has nine sons.

Mr. W. Shaw.

Mr. W. Shaw.

Criterion Hotel (Edwin Bastings, proprietor), Paeroa. This first-class hotel is situated in Normanby Road, and is a fine two-storey building containing on the ground floor a commercial room, twenty-five by twenty-nine feet, a dining room, twenty-nine by page 849 thirty feet, a bar, three parlours, and seven bedrooms. A splendid staircase leads to the first floor, on which there are twenty-four bedrooms, drawing-room, smoking-room, three sitting-rooms, bath-room, lavatories, etc. The present building is practically new, as it was opened only in February, 1897, and it will be found to contain every feature of the modern hotel. The private drawing and sitting-rooms, combined with a first-class cuisine, make it an ideal family hotel, while for commercial purposes the sample-rooms are the most commodious in Paeroa. A large and newly-furnished billiard-room is connected with the hotel.

Criterion Hotel, Paeroa.

Criterion Hotel, Paeroa.

Mr. Edwin Bastings, the Proprietor, is a son of Mr. Horace Bastings, who was a member of the House of Representatives for Tuapeka, Otago. Mr. Bastings was born in Melbourne and came with his parents to Otago when two years old. He was educated at the Dunedin High School, and was afterwards associated with his father in the business of Messrs Bastings, Leary and Co., auctioneers, of Dunedin. He afterwards went to Australia, where his father was engaged in constructing the cable tramway at the North Shore, Sydney. Mr. Horace Bastings also had the contract for the construction of the Bacchus Marsh-Ballan railway, the last link in the line which now connects Ballarat with Melbourne. Mr. E. Bastings was actively engaged under his father in the carrying out of both these contracts. He is a member of the Ohinemuri Lodge of Masons, and is also one of the committee of the Ohinemuri Jockey Club. Mr. Bastings is married and has two children.

Ohinemuri Hotel (Maurice Goggan Power, proprietor), corner of Normanby and Arney Streets, Paeroa. This house was established in 1876, at the opening of the goldfield, on a site in Cassrels Street, overlooking the river, and the present building was erected in 1896.

Paeroa Hotel (Matthew Delaney, proprietor), corner of Normanby and William Streets, Paeroa. This hotel was established in 1897, when the license was transferred from Rotorua. The building is of two stories, with a verandah and balcony, and contains fifty-two rooms, thirty-three of which are bedrooms. There are three sitting rooms upstairs, and a large dining room, a commercial room, and three sitting rooms on the ground floor. The dining room has seating accommodation for seventy guests.

Royal Mail Hotel (Samuel John Atkins, proprietor), corner of Normanby and Wharf Streets, Paeroa. This prominent hostelry was established in 1895, and has been conducted by the present proprietor since 1899. The building is of wood, is two stories in height, has a balcony on two sides, and contains page 850 fifty rooms, of which forty are bedrooms. There are two private sitting rooms on the first floor and five on the ground floor. The dining room is a handsome apartment measuring 40 by 70 feet. There is a fine billiard room with an excellent table by Messrs Wright, Ránish and Co., of Wellington. The “Royal Mall” is the largest hotel in Paeroa.

Mr. Samuel John Atkins, Proprietor of the Royal Mail Hotel, was born in London in 1869, and had an experience of four years in several large London hotels; but he subsequently went to sea, and served in the White Star, Peninsular and Oriental lines. On coming to New Zealand he joined the Union Steamship Company, with which he remained for six years, and was several times chief steward. In 1897 he settled in Auckland, where he was appointed steward of the Working Men's Club. He held the position for three years when he acquired the Royal Mail Hotel, Paeroa. Mr. Atkins is a Druid, and is attached to the Star of Paeroa Lodge. He was married in July, 1899, to a daughter of Mr. R. Leader, of the Star of Freedom Hotel, Sydney.

Hanna, photoMr. S. J. Atkins.

Hanna, photo
Mr. S. J. Atkins.

Smith, J. Hague and Co., (H. T. Torrens, manager), Hardware Merchants and Importers, Normanby Street, Paeroa. Head office, Thames. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. The business of the Paeroa branch of this well known firm is carried on in a centrally situated building with a large verandah and a double-fronted shop. In addition to a large stock of all classes of hardware and general mining requisites, the firm keeps a stock of the explosives used in mining.

Mr. Hugh Thomas Torrens, Manager of Messrs Smith and Co.'s Paeroa Branch, was born in Londonderry, Ireland. He was apprenticed to the ironmongery trade, and had seven years' experience at Ballymena, in County Antrim. In 1875 Mr. Torrens arrived in Dunedin by the ship “Aldergrove,” and soon afterwards settled at Coromandel, where he was for three years in business as an ironmonger and general storekeeper. For two years subsequently he was manager of a store at Tararu, Thames, and became accountant for Messrs Mennie and Dey. Four years later he became manager of Mr. McCaul's plumbing business at the Thames. He entered the service of Messrs Smith and Co., in 1890, and was appointed to his present position in 1898. Mr. Torrens is an Oddfellow, and is attached to Lodge Charles Bruce, Thames. He was married, in 1879, to a daughter of Mr. Thomas Taylor, of Waihi, and has four sons and six daughters.

Hanna, photo.Mr. H. T. Torrens.

Hanna, photo.
Mr. H. T. Torrens.

Jones, Edward, Saddler and Harnessmaker, Normanby Road, Paeroa; branches at Hamilton and Morrinsville. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. Mr. Jones was born in Hamilton, Waikato, in 1869, and was educated in his native place. He served his apprenticeship with Mr. J. Wiseman, in Auckland, and purchased the old established saddlery business of the late Mr. Robert Peat, in 1889. Two years later he established a branch at Morrinsville, and extended his connection to the Ohinemuri Goldfields district in 1896, when he made Paeroa the distributing centre. Mr. Jones still carries on business at Hamilton and Morrinsville and has resident managers at each of the branches. He does a large manufacturing and importing business. His principle is to sell for small profits and thereby secure a large turnover, which he is now in a position to carry out through the medium of his different branches. Mr. Jones also makes the patent Acme covers for horses and cattle, now so well known all over New Zealand.

Searle Brothers (Henry Oakford Searle and William James Searle), Boot and Shoe Makers, and Importers. Normanby Street, Paeroa; branch at Karangahake. This business was established in Paeroa in 1896, and the Karangahake branch was opened a year later.

Walls, James, Butcher and Cattle Dealer, Arney Street, Paeroa. Mr. Walls was born in Scarborough, England, in 1858, and learned his trade in Hull, where he was afterwards in business as a cattle dealer and commission agent. In 1891, Mr. Walls arrived in Melbourne, and two years later he came to Auckland, where he was in business in Eden Terrace for nine months. After working at his trade in Paeroa, Mr. Walls established his present business in 1898. He was married, in 1899, to a daughter of Mr. William Bullian, farmer, of Mangapai.

Price, Alfred Edwin, General Merchant and Importer, Paeroa; branch at Karangahake. Mr. Price was born in Herefordshire. England, in 1859, and is the son of Mr.
Mr. A. E. Price's Premises.

Mr. A. E. Price's Premises.

page 851 James Price, of Leominster. He came to New Zealand in 1881, and first started in business in the Waikato. In 1894 he purchased his present old established business from Mr J. M. Robson, and since then he has, by perseverance and judgment, increased the trade five-fold. His business relations now extend all through the Ohinemuri district. Mr. Price became a Freemason in 1896, when he joined Lodge Te Aroha, 52, but he is now affiliated to Lodge Ohinemuri, 107.

Nathan, Joseph, Stationer and Fancy Goods Dealer, Normanby Street, Paeroa. Established in 1895. Mr. Nathan was born in Manchester, England, and arrived in New Zealand in 1883. While residing at Inglewood, Taranaki, Mr. Nathan was, in 1893, placed on the Commission of the Peace. He has served in the Ohinemuri Rifles, and was elected a member of the local school committee in 1899.

Evans, David James, General Storekeeper, Belmont Road, Paeroa. Bankers, National Bank of New Zealand. Mr. Evans was born in Montgomeryshire, Wales, England, in 1861, and was brought up to the drapery business at Newton, Wales. In 1881 he arrived in Auckland, and was for six years a member of the firm of Evans and Jamieson, storekeepers, Epsom. He was subsequently engaged for about eight years in the carrying business in Auckland, and settled at Paeroa, in 1895, when he commenced his present business. Mr. Evans was one of the first members of the Star of Paeroa Lodge, U.A.O.D. He was married, in 1886, to a daughter of Mr. B. A. Bishop, of Kingsland, and has two sons and three daughters.

Scott, photo.Mr. and Mrs D. J. Evans.

Scott, photo.
Mr. and Mrs D. J. Evans.

Keller, Peter, General Storekeeper, Normanby Road, Paeroa. Mr. Keller was born in Germany in 1837, and came out to Victoria in 1859. In 1862 he arrived in Otago, and after a trip to the Old Country, settled at Ross, on the West Coast, where he resided till 1890. While at Ross, he served several terms as a member of the Borough Council, and was twice Mayor of the borough. He was also a member of the local school committee, and at one time of the licensing bench. In 1896 he removed to Paeroa, and established his present business.

McWatters, William John, General Storekeeper and Baker, Normanby Road, Paeroa; branches at Karangahake, Waihi and Waitekauri. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. The business conducted by Mr. McWatters was established at Paeroa in 1893, and extended to Waihi in September, 1895, and to Karangahake and Waitekauri in 1898. The principal establishment in Paeroa consists of two stories, one of which is devoted to the grocery branch of the business and the other to general stores, including groceries and boots. Mr. McWatters does a considerable trade. For the first six years he did a credit business, but as this did not answer, he decided to close his books and do only a cash trade, which has proved very satisfactory. Mr. McWatters was born in 1866 at Wade, twenty-four miles to the north of Auckland, and was educated at the Thames, where his parents had settled in the early days. He learned is trade under Mr. J. Forgie, with whom he was for two years, and he was afterwards with Mr. W. Scott for four years. Mr. McWatters worked in Paeroa with Messrs Philips and Son for three years before entering business on his own account. He was married, in 1890, to a daughter of Mr. W. McKenna, of Owharoa, and has one son and three daughters.

Foy Bros., photo.Mr. and Mrs W. J. McWatters.

Foy Bros., photo.
Mr. and Mrs W. J. McWatters.

Phillips, Walter, Storekeeper, Paeroa. Mr. Phillips was born at Maryborough in Victoria, in 1871, and came to New Zealand with his parents. In 1878 his father was appointed headmaster of the Kumeroa state school. Later on he was transferred to the Thames, to fill a similar position, and young Philips finished his education at the Thames High School. Mr. Phillips served his time in the hardware trade with Messrs Hague, Smith and Co., of the Thames, and with the exception of four years, during which he was accountant at the Waihi Company's mines, he was with the firm from his youth, till recently when he entered business on his own account. Mr. Phillips became a Freemason in 1896 in Lodge Ohinemuri, No. 107.

Wright, Walter Henry (A. St. G. Forbes, manager), General Storekeper and Produce Merchant, Normanby Road, Paeroa; Branch, Te Aroha. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. This business was established by the proprietor in 1897. It is centrally situated in the main road, and there are two shops, one devoted to groceries, and the other to the produce department. Mr. Wright has an extensive business throughout the Ohinemuri goldfields.

Mr. Arthur St. George Forbes, Manager of Mr. W. H. Wright's store in Paeroa, was born in France in 1840, and educated at Barnstable and in France. He came to the colonies in 1856, and learned farming in Adelaide, South Australia, whence he came to Otago in 1861. After an experience on the goldfields he entered the military service at the end of 1862, and was present at the Gate Pa fight at Tauranga, and afterwards at Cambridge, Waikato. At the close of the Maori disturbances, Mr. Forbes was travelling in the grocery trade for four years, and established himself in business in Auckland, and afterwards at Pukekohe where he conducted a general store and an auctioneering business for about eight years. For over five years subsequently Mr. Forbes was travelling for Mr. John Buchanan, wholesale merchant, and was subsequently with Mr. Wells at Cambridge for eight years. He was appointed manager of Mr. Wright's business in January, 1899. Mr. Forbes was married, in page 852 1869, to a daughter of the late Mr. Ryan, Templemore, Tipperary, Ireland. Mrs Porbes died in 1895, leaving two daughters. In 1896, Mr. Forbes married the widow of the late Mr. Richard Sim, of Cambridge, and has one daughter by his second marriage.

Mr. A. St. G Forbes.

Mr. A. St. G Forbes.

The Ohinemuri Light And Power Company, Ltd., Messrs H. Hirt (chairman), H. Atkinson, R. Wilson, J. Winstone, W. Bailey and J. Coleman (directors); Mr. M. H. Hamilton (manager). The head office of this Company is at Insurance Buildings, Queen Street, Auckland. The Company was originally known as the Paeroa Gas Syndicate Company, which was formed in 1897, but in 1898 it was incorporated under its present title. The property consists of six acres and a half of freehold land on the Puke Road, and the plant is built on the very latest principles. There are two benches of retorts built on the slow combustion principle, capable of producing six times as much gas as will be required to supply the district for a considerable period. The plant comprises a large gasholder, the latest automatic and purifying machines, and gas governors to regulate the pressure in the town. There is a six roomed residence for the manager at the works.

Mr. Matthew Henry Hamilton, J. P., Manager of the Ohinemuri Light and Power Company, Ltd., was born in 1859, in Belfast, Ireland, and brought up as a blacksmith. He came to Auckland by the ship “Rangitikei,” in 1882. Soon after his arrival he joined the staff of the Auckland Gas Company, with which he remained till he was appointed to his present position in 1899. During the period of his employment in Auckland, Mr. Hamilton held various positions in almost every branch of the works, and at the time of leaving was one of the foremen. Mr. Hamilton takes a general interest in local matters, and acts as a local preacher in connection with the Wesleyan church. He was married, in 1879, to a daughter of the late Mr. J. Park, of Crumulin, near Belfast, and has eight daughters.

Gordon Brothers (John and James Gordon), Coach Proprietors, Paeroa Stables, Belmont Road, Paeroa; headquarters at Waitekauri. This coach line was established by the late Mr. T. Gordon, father of the present proprietors, in 1893. Two coaches run daily from each end of the Waitekauri-Paeroa section.

Mclennan And Hope (J. S. Hope, proprietor; W. Innes, manager), General Carriers and Contractors, Paeroa and Waitekauri; Head office, Belmont Road, Paeroa. The stables and offices of this firm are situated not far from the railway station, at Paeroa. There is accommodation for from thirty-five to forty horses in the Paeroa stables. The proprietor, Mr. Hope, who is referred to in another article, resides at Waitekauri.

Mr. William Innes, Manager at Paeroa for Messrs McLennan and Hope, was born in 1873, at Mercer. He was educated chiefly at Morrinsville, and was engaged in farming at his native place for the greater portion of eighteen years. In 1895, he entered the service of Messrs McLennan and Hope at Paeroa, and was promoted two years later to his present position. Mr. Innes is a member of the local Lodge of Oddfellows. He was married, in 1896, to a daughter of Mr. J. Bew, of Te Aroha, and has two daughters.

Hanna, photo.Mr. and Mrs W. Innes.

Hanna, photo.
Mr. and Mrs W. Innes.

Ohinemuri Coaching Company, Ltd., (G. Crosby, managing director), Head Office, Belmont Road, Paeroa; Stables, Normanby Road, Paeroa, and at Karangahake, [unclear: Waihi], Katikati and Tauranga. This Company was incorporated on the 7th of August, 1899, having purchased the coaching lines formerly run between Paeroa and Tauranga by Messrs G. Crosby, G. Johnstone, W. L. Hunter, and Short and Company. About 120 horses, ten coaches and twenty-eight hands, including drivers and stablemen, are employed in connection with the line. A regular service is maintained between Paeroa and Karangahake, Waihi and Tauranga. Six coaches run daily each way between Paeroa and Karrangahake, three between Paeroa and Waihi, while between Waihi and Tauranga a coach runs one way each alternate day, and returns on the following day. There is a special service between Paeroa and Karangahake on Sundays. In addition to the coaching business, the Company maintains a large plant of buggies page 853 and other vehicles for hire. The Company has two stables at Paeroa, one of forty and the other of fifty stalls. There is one stable at Karangahake, two at Waihi, one at Katikati and one at Tauranga. The stables connected with the head office in Paeroa are most complete in every respect.

Interior of the Ohinemuri Coaching Co.'s Stables.

Interior of the Ohinemuri Coaching Co.'s Stables.

Mr. George Crosby, Managing Director of the Ohinemuri Coaching Company, was born in 1855 in County Meath, Ireland. He arrived in Auckland, in 1873 by the ship “Waitangi,” and was engaged in station life at Cambridge for three months, and at Whakatane for two years. On removing to Tauranga he commenced business with a dray in the carrying line between that town and Rotorua, and subsequently added bullock-waggons, which he drove through to Taupo; and he remained in the business for about six years. He and Mr. Crimmons purchased Mr. Fenton's waggons, which were worked between Tauranga and Rotorua for a year. The firm then dissolved partnership, and Mr. Crosby purchased Robertson and Gallagher's plant, running between Paeroa and Tauranga, and worked the line for about seven years. He then entered a hotel at Rotorua, and continued to run the mail coaches to Tauranga and afterwards to Okoroire as well for two years. Having sold his business, he settled at Paeroa in 1894, and purchased Messrs Bradley and Co.'s line and other lines of coaches. Mr. Crosby afterwards built the Royal Mail Hotel, of which he was landlord for some time and still is the owner. He was married, in 1889, to a daughter of the late Mr. W. Dawber, of Ballarat, and has three sons and three daughters.

Hanna, photo.Mr. G. Crosbie.

Hanna, photo.
Mr. G. Crosbie.

Mr. John Phillips, Accountant, was born in Devonshire, England, in 1857, arrived in Auckland with his parents by the ship “Queen of Beauty,” and was educated at Wahangauri and at the Thames. Mr. Phillips settled at Paeroa with his father in August, 1877, and was a member of the firm of John Phillips and Son, who conducted a large business as general storekeepers on the Ohinemuri goldfields from that year till the end of 1892. For three years subsequently Mr. Phillips conducted business under the same style. He was then a mining agent and accountant till October, 1899, when he was appointed accountant to the Ohinemuri Coaching Company, Ltd. Mr. Phillips has been prominent in mining in the Ohinemuri district. He represented Waitekauri riding in the Ohinemuri County Council for three years, and held the office of chairman for one year. As a Freemason he is attached to Lodge Ohinemuri, 107. He was married, in 1884, to a daughter of the late Mr. J. S. Parry, of Dunedin, and has three daughters and two sons.

Law, Alexander, Watchmaker and Jeweller, Normanby Road, Paeroa. Mr. Law
Mr. A. Law.

Mr. A. Law.

page 854 was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in May, 1863, and while an infant came to the colony with his parents in the ship “Helenslea.” He learned his trade at the Thames, and established his present business at Paeroa in 1897. Mr. Law is an honorary member of No. 1 Ohinemuri Rifles, and an old member of the Thames Lodge of Good Templars. During his residence at the Thames he studied for two terms at the School of Mines. Mr. Law's premises are leasehold, and consist of two shops and dwellings centrally situated in the main street. Mr. Law was married in March, 1880, to a daughter of Mr. G. Riplery, and has one son.

Forrest, William, Timber Merchant, Builder and Ironmonger, Paeroa. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. Private residence, Mill Road. This business was established by the proprietor in 1895. Mr. Forrest holds a large stock of building timber and general ironmongery. He acts as agent for Wilson's hydraulic lime and cement, for the Mountain Rimu Timber Company, and as a general receiving, forwarding, and commission agent. Mr. Forrest has a large trade connection with all parts of the Ohinemuri goldfields, and along the Thames river. He is referred to elsewhere as District Coroner for the Ohinemuri county.

McAndrew, James, Timber Merchant, Paeroa. Mr. McAndrew was born at Turriff, Aberdeenshire, in 1839. He was educated at his native place, and learned his business as builder with his father. Mr. McAndrew came to New Zealand, per ship “Annie Wilson,” in 1863, and landed in Auckland, where he stayed for four years. He went to the Thames in 1867, and after following mining pursuits for three years, he commenced business as builder. At this he continued till 1893, when he removed to Paeroa, where he extended his original business by opening a timber-yard, and he now conducts extensive operations as a timber merchant. Mr. McAndrew served two terms of three years on the Thames County Council. While at the Thames he also successfully contested the mayoralty election in 1889, and the following year he was returned unopposed. He was also a member of the school committee at the Thames, and chairman of the Harbour Board. In 1893 he was elected to a seat in the Ohinemuri County Council, but on a protest the election was upset, and on a second poll being taken, Mr. McAndrew was defeated by a narrow majority. In the meantime he had attended a meeting of the Council and taken part in the election of Mr. Barry as chairman. Mr. McAndrew contested the election again in 1896, and was returned by an overwhelming majority; he polled within three or four of half of the total votes recorded, and the other half was divided between his opponents.

Farmers.

Cock, Frederick, Farmer, “Willowbank,” Paeroa. Mr. Cock was born at Putney, England, in 1833, and served an apprenticeship to the trade of builder and joiner. He came to New Zealand in 1884, by the ship “Ernestina,” landed in Auckland shortly after the Maori war, and went into business at the North Shore in the Masonic Hotel, which was built for him. In 1867, Mr. Cock went to the Thames, but left there in the following year for Paeroa, where he bought a farm from the natives and planted a large orchard, and at the same time followed his trade as builder. He induced the Thames and Hauraki Company—now the Northern Steamship Company—to extend its service to Paeroa, where he has been its agent for many years. Mr. Cock took a leading part in the formation of the Ohinemuri County, and was its first chairman. He lives at Paeroa on his farm, which he has named “Willowbank,” and actively interests himself in any local movement. As a member of the Church of England, he has been clergyman's warden for a number of years, and is a Mason, his mother lodge being the “Rose of Denmark, Mortlake, England. Mr. Cock is married and has three sons and five daughters.

Mr. F. Cock.

Mr. F. Cock.

Cooper, George, Farmer, Paeroa. Mr. Cooper was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, in 1829, and was brought up to farming. In 1850 he went to Upper Canada, and was engaged in farming on his own land at Bentinck and Proton, but returned to Scotland in 1866. After spending a year in his native land, he came to Lyttelton by the ship “Blue Jacket,” in 1867. Shortly afterwards he removed to Auckland, and was for about thirteen years on the Thames. In 1880 he took up land at Paeroa, and has 285 acres of freehold on the Mill Road.

Mr. G. Cooper.

Mr. G. Cooper.

Hubbard Brothers (John Arthur Charles, Walter, and Percy Richard Hubbard), Farmers, Komata South and Thames Road. Paeroa. The members of this firm are sons of the late Mr. John Charles Hubbard, who was born in London, in 1843. Mr. Hubbard came to Lyttelton, New Zealand, about 1856 or 1857, with his father, and settled at Cashmere, where he resided for a number of years. Subsequently he removed to Lake Ellesmere, where he remained about seven years, and was afterwards for two years in the Ashburton district. On removing to Auckland, he settled, first, at Mount Roskill, and afterwards at Mangere. Mr. Hubbard was well known in Canterbury and Auckland as a practical farmer. He was married, in 1870, to a daughter of Mr. John Jebson, of Malvern, Canterbury, and at the time of his death, in 1897, he left five sons and two daughters. The farm which is now managed by his sons consists of 660 acres of freehold land.

page 855

Mr. A. C. Hubbard is Lieutenant of the Ohinemuri Rifles, and Messrs Walter Hubbard and P. R. Hubbard went to South Africa with the New Zealand Contingents in 1900.

The Late Mr. J. C. Hubbard.

The Late Mr. J. C. Hubbard.

Marsh, William, Farmer, “Otara,” Paeroa. Mr. Marsh was born at Cheswardine, Shropshire, England, in 1837, and was brought up to a country life. He arrived in Auckland by the ship “Ida Ziegler,” on the 4th of October, 1863. Four years later he removed to the Thames, where he remained for eight years. In 1875, he settled in Paeroa, where he became a carting contractor, and had the contract for the carting of the materials for the first battery at Karangahake. Soon afterwards he acquired a portion of his property known as “Otara,” which is over sixty acres in extent, and he has also forty acres at Mackaytown. Mr. Marsh was for about five years a member of the Paeroa school committee. During his residence at the Thames he became one of the early members of the Protestant Alliance Benefit Society. Mr. Marsh was married, in 1867, to a daughter of the late Mr. Byron, of Nottingham, England. This lady died in June, 1893, and in December, 1898, Mr. Marsh contracted a second marriage with a daughter of the late Mr. J. Newnham, of the Isle of Wight.

Foy Bros., photo. Mr. W. Marsh.

Foy Bros., photo.
Mr. W. Marsh.

Thorp, John Wullanora, Farmer, “Doneburne,” Puke Road, Paeroa. Mr. Thorp is the son of the late Mr. Joshua Thorp, Government surveyor and architect of Sydney, and was born in 1838, at Wullanora, near Cook's river, New South Wales. He was educated at Wesley College, Auckland, and was brought up to country life. Previous to the Waikato war, Mr. Thorp was offered the position of Resident Magistrate in the Thames district by Dr. Shortland, who was Native Secretary—under Sir George Grey—but he declined the offer for the simple reason that the Native Office was then in such a state that no magistrate could carry out the law. On Mr. Thorp's return from the Otago goldfields in May, 1862, he, accompanied by Te Kepa Raharuhi, the native chief, went prospecting on Kepa's land and found gold at Rotokohu and also near Karangahake. That was the first gold found in that part of the district, and when Mr. James Mackay opened the Ohinemuri and Te Aroha goldfields Mr. Thorp gave him valuable assistance. Mr. Thorp acted as Upper Thames correspondent to the Southern Cross and Herald newspaper just after the Waikato war, when a section of the natives were in a disturbed state. When Mr. Thorp settled at Puke, he bought property from the natives, and lived on it a good many years. He planted a splendid orchard, and subsequently disposed of the property, “Doneburne,” where he now resides, consists of eighty-four acres of freehold, which was purchased in 1880. Mr. Thorp has also fifty-four acres on the opposite side of the road. He has planted eleven acres of his property as an orchard. As a volunteer, Mr. Thorp served under Captain Jackson at Raglan and at Waipa. He was married, in 1884, to the eldest daughter of Mr. R. J. McFarland, surveyor, of Auckland. Mrs Thorp died in 1890, leaving two sons and one daughter. In 1891, Mr. Thorp married a daughter of Mr. Robert Gibbons, of Patea, and has three daughters by his second marriage.

Foy Bros., photo. Mr. J. W. Thorp.

Foy Bros., photo.
Mr. J. W. Thorp.

Dickey, Nathaniel, Settler and Contractor, Mount Pleasant, Paeroa. Mr. Dickey is a native of Ireland, and was born in 1850. He came to New Zealand with his parents in 1864, landing at Auckland, and was for some years on his father's farm at Waitakerei. In 1874, Mr. Dickey went to the Thames, and after six years of mining decided to settle at Paeroa. He was one of the first to settle in the town, and was for many years engaged in conveying machinery to the various mines in the district. Mr. Dickey took all the machinery to the “Waitekauri” Mine before the roads were finished, and when it was necessary to employ as many as eight horses to haul a fair load over the rough country. The batteries for the “Waihi” and “Crown” mines were also conveyed by him. Mr. Dickey takes a great interest in racing, and several well known horses have come from his stables, amongst them “Recruit,” “Tetford,” “Libeller,” “Try Fluke,” the stallion “Brookly,” etc. He has on his farm at Otumatia “Brookly,” “Swiftsure,” “Lady Sterling,” “Boadicea,” “Captivity,” “Victor” and several others. Mr.
Mr. N. Dickey.

Mr. N. Dickey.

page 856 Dickey has several horses in training and is well known throughout the colony for his thoroughbred stock. He has always taken a great interest in the welfare of his district; he is the owner of the racecourse at Paeroa, and he gave the Paeroa Volunteers a rifle range, for which they made him an honorary life member. For nine years Mr. Dickey was a member of the Ohinemuri Licensing Bench, before it was merged into the Bay of Plenty district, and he has since held a seat for several years.
Old Colonists.

Mr. Ascher Cassrels, of Paeroa, is one of the oldest settlers in the district. He was born in 1841, in Wilno, Russia, where he was educated in Hebrew. He is a cabinetmaker by trade, and arrived in England in October, 1861. Mr. Cassrels came to Auckland by the ship “Scimitar,” in March, 1864, and after a short time at his trade, he commenced business as a traveller, and continued as such till 1867. In that year he went to the Thames, and began business as a storekeeper. He first visited Ohinemuri in October, 1868, and after a short sojourn in Napier, he established himself in November, 1869, as a storekeeper in Ohinemuri, where he carried on business till 1896, when he retired. Mr. Cassrels owns property in the Paeroa district, and has taken a very prominent part in the district's history and development.

Mr. James McGimpsey Robson, Old Colonist, was born in County Down, Ireland, in 1847, educated at Belfast, and brought up to business as a storekeeper. He was for some time after his arrival in Auckland employed by Mr. John Hall, of Otahuki. Mr. Robson removed to Paeroa in 1874, when he began business as a storekeeper. He was a member of the Ohinemuri County Council for six years. In February, 1895, he disposed of the business and bought a farm of 400 acres on the Thames Road, and worked it till the time of his death. He was married, in 1868, to a daughter of the late Mr. David Kelly, of County Cavan, Ireland, and left five sons and six daughters.

Colonel Charles Cecil Rookes, one of the few surviving old veterans of the Maori war, was born in Exeter, Devonshire, England, on the 10th of October, 1819. He was educated partly at Bath and partly in France, was in the Royal Navy for two years, and entered the Army in 1839, when he joined the Second West India Regiment, in which he served twenty years. Colonel Rookes was with his Regiment on the West Coast of Africa, on the Gold Coast, and in the West Indies. The ability and success with which he conducted the expeditions entrusted to him as an Imperial officer won for him the thanks of Lord Panmure, Minister of War, Lord Hardings, Commander-in-Chief, the Duke of Newcastle, Secretary of State, and of the French and Dutch Governments, whose interests on the Gold Coast were benefited by the British operations conducted by Colonel Rookes. In 1859 Colonel Rookes sold out of the Army, and, coming to New Zealand, settled at Howick, near Auckland. When the Maori rebellion of 1860 broke out, Colonel Rookes was employed by the Government of New Zealand to organise the Department of Defence, and in recognition of the ability with which he did this, he was placed, as the deputy of Governor Sir George Grey, in command of the Wanganui military district, which extended from Patea to Manawatu. From 1860 to 1869 Colonel Rookes served under Sir George Grey, during the native disturbances, and will be remembered as having captured the Wereroa Pa with 200 natives. While residing in Wanganui Colonel Rookes raised, organised and personally drilled seven companies of rifle volunteers and six troops of cavalry volunteers. For three years afterwards he was Staff Adjutant of Militia Volunteers at Christchurch. Colonel Rookes was married, in 1855, to a sister of General Cafe, V.C. Mrs Rookes died in 1890, leaving two sons and one daughter. The sons have since died, and the daughter is married to Dr. Forbes, of Waihi.

Mr. A. J. Thorp was born at Coromandel in 1842, and is a son of Mr. Joshua Thorp, formerly chief of the engineering department of New South Wales, under Governor Sir Charles Darling. Mr. Joshua Thorp came to New Zealand in 1839, and after being in Coromandel he removed his family to Ohinemuri on the Thames river, where he was the first settler. The last cannibal feast that took place in New Zealand was held near Ohinemuri a short time before Mr. Thorp settled there. Mr. Alfred Joshua Thorp served in the Wairoa Rifles during the New Zealand war and received a medal. He represented the Ohinemuri riding in the first council of the county of Thames and Netherton riding in the Ohinemuri county. In 1870 he settled at Oaklands, Paeroa, where he still resides.

Foy Bros., photo.Mr. A. J. Thorp.

Foy Bros., photo.
Mr. A. J. Thorp.

Mr. Charles James Fox was born in London in 1863, and arrived in New Zealand in 1874. Shortly after his arrival in the Colony he joined the service of the Northern Steamship Company in its shipping office at Tauranga, and remained there some years. He received promotion, and was appointed the company's wharf manager in Auckland in 1886. Mr Fox is now stationed at Paeroa.

Hanna, photo.Mr. C. J. Fox.

Hanna, photo.
Mr. C. J. Fox.